Wilderness Survival Baseline

This topic came up on the blades and bushcraft forum as "Fun Wilderness Survival Test" and I really like the idea. This is the testing requirements for the Boy Scout Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. I see it as a really nice baseline for us to measure our skill as woodsmen/busch crafters/ outdoorsmen take your pick. Just looking through the list I see I have some things Ineed to brush up on and even a thing or 2 to learn. Certainly gets my juices flowing.

I really like that it also addresses some mental skills to develope for survival, avoiding panic and keeping up morale and such. I would add a few items here and there but that is just me nit picking.

Take a look and see where your skills fall. Get out and enjoy the outdoors!


Wilderness Survival Merit Badge Requirements:

1.Show that you know first aid for, and how to prevent injuries or illnesses that could occur in backcountry settings, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebites.
2.From memory, list the seven priorities for survival in a backcountry or wilderness location. Explain the importance of each one with your counselor.
3.Discuss ways to avoid panic and maintain a high level of morale when lost, and explain why this is important.
4.Describe the steps you would take to survive in the following conditions:
a. Cold and snowy
b. Wet (forest)
c. Hot and dry (desert)
d. Windy (mountains or plains)
e. Water (ocean, lake, or river)
5.Put together a personal survival kit and explain how each item in it could be useful
6.Using three different methods (other than matches), build and light three fires.
7.Do the following:
a. Show five different ways to attract attention when lost.
b. Demonstrate how to use a signal mirror.
c. Describe from memory five ground-to-air signals and tell what they mean.
8.Improvise a natural shelter. For the purpose of this demonstration, use techniques that have little negative impact on the environment. Spend a night in your shelter.
9.Explain how to protect yourself from insects, reptiles, and bears.
10.Demonstrate three ways to treat water found in the outdoors to prepare it for drinking.
11.Show that you know the proper clothing to wear in your area on an overnight in extremely hot weather and in extremely cold weather.
12.Explain why it usually not wise to eat edible wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival situation.